Written by Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
New York native Ramiz Brahimaj had quite the homecoming at UFC 309 in Madison Square Garden after he delivered a vicious first-round knockout over Mickey Gall.
The six-time UFC veteran looked better than ever on Saturday as he showed confidence in his hands as he continued to chip away at Gall throughout the opening round. After charging forward with a flurry of punches, Brahimaj unleashed a devastating right hook that blasted the Gall in the jaw and sent him crashing to the canvas.
BRONX’S OWN BRAHIMAJ SHOWED OUT IN NYC #UFC309 pic.twitter.com/dFTHdvDAK1
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) November 17, 2024
The referee immediately stepped in to stop the fight with the end coming at just 2:55 in the first round.
“One of the best feelings in the world,” Brahimaj said about his win. “I went through so much turbulence these past two years. I was so mad at myself for so long that I never let it go. Tonight, I knew. I’m at home. I’m a Bronx bomber.”
From the first exchange, Brahimaj looked slick on the feet as he kept coming just inches away from clipping Gall with one of his strikes. Gall fired back while attempting to keep his range and use distance to his advantage but he just never really let his hands go.
That allowed even more openings for Brahimaj to set up his combinations and once he saw the opening to really unload his best punches, he marched forward while Gall was stuck backing up. That’s when Brahimaj threw the shot that slammed into Gall’s face and ended his night in dramatic fashion.
Bouncing back and forth between wins and losses since first arriving in the UFC, Brahimaj undoubtedly wants to build some momentum off such a dramatic win. As for Gall, he suffers a fourth loss in a row overall in what could potentially be his final appearance in the UFC.